The article illustrates a poignant scene at Okular278, a space station designed as a mausoleum for victims of the silicate-mine collapse on Demeter. Only a handful of visitors, grieving the loss of their loved ones, arrive to pay their respects amidst a backdrop of vibrant colors from the brown dwarf Archangel. The visitors engage with the remains of the miners held in glass tubes, moving from sorrow to a semblance of beauty, all while reflecting on broader concerns regarding environmental devastation and corporate failures in the aftermath of tragedy.
"Welcome to Okular278, a five-star repository built to honour your loved ones. The Węglox Mining Company is here to help you through this difficult time."
"They watch the particles roil inside the tubes, a pattern of beauty, a suggestion of life. They hold one another. They weep and sob."
"They ignore my Archangel light show and talk over my greeting. The visitors remain in the waiting room."
"She hurries to the viewing portal. I project a crystalline white light over the glass tubes. She smiles at the movement of the particles."
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